Reflex
by TrulyWished
Summary: What would really happen if Al were murdered? Would Ed just mourn and let it go? Probably not. Some violence, light RoyEd, character death
1. Reflex

Disclaimer: I do not own this manga/anime nor do I make any money from writing this.

Warnings: Not much, really. Mentions of violence, character death, light Roy/Ed.

Really? What would really happen if Al were murdered? Would Ed mourn and just get over it, let it go? There are a lot of fics that say he would, but I just can't agree. It's a bit short but have a look and let me know what you think!

Reflex

Roy opened the door to his office and stepped through. The room was silent and dark, the way it should be but he froze anyway. "Fullmetal."

"No need for that. I'm pretty sure I'm not certified anymore." The blond melted out of the shadow by the window. He stared straight at his former commander, letting him see his latest disguise clearly. His hair was blond again, pulled in a high ponytail, bangs and all, and he appeared taller than his usual, almost as tall as Roy. The extra height and baggy clothes made him appear more slight, more delicate than his superior knew him to be.

Roy's lips were suddenly dry and he licked them quickly, trying to be subtle. "Don't worry, I haven't come for you. Well, not the way you think." A cold grin flashed, all teeth and disturbingly reminiscent of his homunculus brother. "Sit with me for a minute?" He settled casually on the couch and waited, letting Roy make his choice.

He did, moving forward to sit on the other end of the couch. "Why? I know there was an accident, but"

"It wasn't an accident. He was pushed." Small, strong hands trembled and a shivery breath was taken. "They had him murdered so I would finish their stone for them."

"It was an accident, Ed. There were witnesses. The water was rough, the ferry too small. It was an accident." Slim hands folded, gripping each other so desperately they almost didn't separate quickly enough to catch the note tossed to him. "What's this?"

A seemingly careless shrug. "The orders I took off his body." The brunette's mouth worked silently and he stared. This couldn't be Edward Elric, not this chill killer. "Read it, and tell me it was an accident."

Gloved hands shook as he unfolded the worn piece of paper; heavy, stiff parchment, obviously from an upper level desk. The formal wording swam before his eyes and he picked out a few key words. "Elric" "Traitor" "Execute" "Accident" "Top Secret" And at the base, the sign of the Fuhror, stamping it all in neat lines. He covered his mouth and felt bile rise anyway.

"Ed." The name whispered over coarse material. "I…"

"It's not your fault; you're the only one who had nothing to do with it. I won't come for you, or Armstrong, as long as you don't interfere." The blond leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. "I do want something from you. Tell me, anyone who you can guarantee had nothing to do with it; I will allow you to guide my hand."

"What?" The dark head snapped up. "No! Edward, you have to stop this! I, I'll help you disappear, it'll be over and you'll cease to exist." Long hair shook and its owner settled back against the cushions. "How many, Ed? How many will it take?"

That grin was back, and Roy shivered under it, no longer caring if it showed weakness. "Until they are gone. The last one told me there were only seven, and I have four: Greed, Wrath, Lust, Gluttony. Sloth and Pride are together, then only Envy will be left." He shrugged again and flexed his hands. "And, of course, the alchemists, the forsaken creatures that created them; they will join their sins." Unholy light, that of a fanatic, glowed in the formerly gentle eyes, eyes that no longer held the all-consuming love for a younger brother.

Roy suddenly realized, clearly, and perhaps for the first time, that Ed lived for nothing if not Alphonse. Without him, there was nothing holding the genius back, that god-like power in check. The slaughter that had preceded now would be nothing if he were allowed to leave. A pale hand slid to his pocket. "Please, don't. If you will not help, then do not get in the way. Nothing will stop me."

"What about Al? He wouldn't want you to do this." A faint snicker started and the blond threw back his head and laughed until tears fell.

He wiped his eyes, still giggling madly. "You know, they all said that, every one of them. They looked me in the eye and told me my dead brother, the one they murdered, wouldn't want me to kill them. You are the only one who even knew him, and you know that he would understand. He may not approve, but he would understand."

"Edward, you've killed, murdered 30 people. Please, let me help you." His voice rose in pitch and it shook with desperation.

"43. And you can't help me, Must, Roy." A soft smile, like the ones he used to give Al appeared. "You're not a killer." He stood and hovered over the older man for a moment before turning to the door. "Stay here, Roy. Bring Alex in, and anyone who is innocent. I won't come back."

A tear trailed over Roy's cheek and he went for his gloves. His hand was almost out of his pocket when the floor rippled under him, knocking him off his feet. His hands splayed to ease his landing and a slim spike rose through them, mushrooming at the top to keep him pinned. When the spots cleared from his eyes, Ed was standing over him.

The small form knelt and he flinched as far as he could, a tiny pained cry escaping. "I'm sorry, Roy. I didn't want it to be like this." A gentle fingertip traced over each dark eyebrow. "I always thought I'd be able to come back to you, come home when it was all over." He sighed and pressed a kiss to the high forehead. A few steps took him to the window and he clapped. "They'll come for you soon, it shouldn't be long." He stood with his hand on the door and listened to the running steps coming to the office, the shouted commands. A winsome smile peeked over his shoulder and he was gone, a whispered "I'm sorry." lingering in the air.


	2. Float

Disclaimer: I do not own this manga/anime nor do I make any money from writing this.

Warning: light yaoi, mentions of violence, character death

I finished it up by demand, but I still like it, even if I had to struggle a bit more.

Float

Long red hair broke free of the tie and tossed over a pillow. Ed rubbed his scalp to sooth the ache from tying it up for so long, but the wig had been necessary. He almost giggled to himself, at the sheer helplessness of the military to find him, but stopped in time. 'Don't get cocky. Remember what happened to Envy." The slight homunculus had counted on being able to disappear in a crowd too much and Ed had caught him easily, simply by letting his senses guide him to the alchemy signature. He'd only missed once, and did feel bad for the woman he'd hit, but sacrifices had to be made.

A giggle escaped then; he sounded just like all those stuffy generals! 'Wonder how Roy's doing.' He'd been monitoring the channels but nothing had come through. Not after he'd heard the call for any and all alchemists to return to Central. Silly Roy; of course they hadn't come, assuming something that broad ranging was a trap. Though, he grinned to himself, him intercepting those letters and opening them before letting them be delivered had helped that impression along rather handily.

He rolled to his stomach and pressed his face into the smooth pillow. It was like all the other pillows he'd slept on in recent years; worn, mostly clean, a pillow for someone who wouldn't stay. His eyes strayed to the second bed, empty now. A shiver ran down his back.

The water still pressed around him, a sudden shock from the freefall of clear air. It was different this time, so different from the times he'd swum as a child, from the fight with Psiren. That had been a jumble of desperate flailing for air and fighting vainly to reach the surface. Only once he hit the bottom had it occurred to him to use the ground as material. When he was small, his mother had been there, holding his hand and helping him paddle around; later, he'd helped Al stay afloat and they'd played tag for hours.

But when he dove in after the armor, even knowing it was futile, it had been a race to the bottom, screams wasting the little air he managed to gasp. They'd been on the surface in seconds, the earth lending him strength to carry his brother up, but it was already too late. The seal faded before his eyes, water dissolving the blood even as he tried to replace it, strengthen it. In a final act of pain, he'd even tried to remove the water altogether. Nothing worked, the blood ran as if it were fresh and the bright glow, the one he depended on to keep him steady, faded. Al, patient, accepting, stubborn Al, had just sighed his name and squeezed his hand gently before letting go.

And now, there was nothing. No goal, no future, nothing to work for or against. He was glad it didn't hurt, grateful really. It was nice to be empty for once; no guilt, no fear, no pain. Teacher said he was a monster and that she was ashamed he knew her. Which was fair; he felt like a monster on occasion. At least she'd taken the piece of armor he carried back to her. He didn't stay, only long enough to hand over the last bits of his brother and to tell her what he was doing. She tried to stop him, really she did, but not even she was a match for him, her sickness catching her easily. She'd told him to leave between coughing and he'd gone. He knew she called Mustang, but he'd already started, so it didn't make a difference.

Poor Roy. He tried so hard to stop him, then to protect others from him. No matter, he was almost done. The homunculi were gone, a stone from each around his neck, and the military was broken, their alchemists gone. Almost. The last were here, somewhere in this town. Perhaps because he'd never been without, Ed had never truly appreciated the effect money had on people; they would tell you anything, no matter who you were, for gold.

Of course he knew he was crazy! It still made him smile when he thought of those last words, flung at him like knives by an alchemist from the North. If nothing else, the fact that his thoughts were so disorganized was proof enough for him. On occasion, he missed being sane, because it meant he'd had Al, but Al was gone and could never be retrieved. Al had kept him sane, given him a goal. His greatest strength and weakness, this desire, NEED, for a goal. Their Teacher taught them to know their own weaknesses and compensate; Roy taught him to never to pounce based on an apparent weakness. A smile at the thought of Roy. 'Don't worry, it'll all be over soon.'

Selfish, selfish, he was being selfish. 'Sleep, one more night and I'll be free.' Red flowed as he rolled to his side, facing the door. 'Soon, Al, I'll see you soon. I promise." Memories of a darker blond and ringing laughter mixed with a tall brunette and a catty smirk trailed him under.

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Roy knew he was being a coward. His hands were long healed but he remained in the hospital bed, refusing to budge. Riza still brought him news he refused to read after the first week. No one had come; no one had answered his letters. Alex had been through but only to express his disappointment before going after the elder Elric. He hadn't been back and the brunette had no idea what had happened to him.

The door opened and a curvaceous young woman with deep black hair stepped in, her white skirt swaying with her hips. He didn't even look up; they'd tried to capture his attention with pretty nurses before. This one settled on the edge of his bed and his eyes cracked open to see her removing her cap and clapping her hands. The long hair crackled and black shimmered in the air before falling in small droplets to the floor. Another clap and curves straightened out, the nurse's uniform changing to an old outfit, black on black with a wide belt and heavy boots.

His throat worked but he couldn't speak; his eyes felt like they would pop at any second. "Hi, Roy." A gentle hand patted his thigh; he distantly noticed it was a right, flesh hand. "Can I sit with you for a while?" Roy felt his head nod slowly. A tiny smile tilted full lips. "Ok, yeah, I'd like that too."

They sat in silence, Ed's hand smoothing the covers and Roy breathing shallowly. "Ed." His voice croaked uncomfortably and he cleared his throat. A glass of water appeared and he drank it gratefully. "Edward, what are you doing here? I thought, I thought you weren't coming back."

That same soft smile again; it was more frightening than the last ones he'd been graced with. "I'm finished, Roy. All done. I came home." No. No, no, no, he can't mean that, that would mean…

"Tell me you didn't kill them." He stared into expressionless gold eyes.

"I didn't kill them." The smile didn't budge and he sounded sincere but his superior knew better.

"Tell me the truth."

Blond hair shifted over his shoulder. "I can't do both, Roy." Dark eyes closed briefly and he took a deep breath.

"You killed them all. Everyone." The bed shifted and weight distributed itself along his side, an arm reaching across his chest.

"No; that wouldn't be fair. You're still here, and Alex will probably be ok. It was an accident; he got in the way. I didn't chase any of the new alchemists, none accepted since Al died. Only the guilty, Roy, only they must be punished." His chest was tight, the sturdy arm across it seeming to crush him.

It was a struggle but he opened his mouth again. "What happened to your arm?"

The blond leaned up and flexed his fingers. "I finished their stone for them; had to use it for something." Long lashes blinked slowly. "There was even enough left over to bind them. See?" He tugged a thick chain out from under his shirt and showed it happily; there were seven stones, brilliant red, glowing from within, dangling from silver clasps.

"Why, Ed? Why this? You were never capable of this before." Amber eyes were scanned for a hint, a clue as to why this had happened.

A little giggle made him flinch. "Of course I was, Roy. When we were little, I had such a hard time killing things, even bugs. It was so, powerful, and frightening. I didn't want Al to see me like that. He always thought I was great, you know? Someone worth following. The first time I killed a rabbit, on Teacher's island, I made him look away so he wouldn't see. Do you remember Laboratory 5? I could have, would have, if he hadn't been there. It would have been so easy, and our goal would have been reached, but he wouldn't have loved me anymore." A small nose nuzzled the side of the older man's neck. "And now he doesn't love me anyway. Ironic, no?" Warm breaths tickled the hairs along Roy's neck with the giggles.

"Ed, why are you here? Not to brag."

The offended tone lent truth to the words. "Of course not. I just wanted to see you first, and give you a present. I hope you'll use it." The chain unsnapped and settled around Roy's neck, choking him with its weight. Gold peered down at him as he ran his fingers over silver and red.

Dark eyes stared back at him as it dawned on him exactly what the blond wanted of him. "Edward, I, how can I?" Metal clinked and a small knife settled in Ed's hand, slicing through the pad of his index finger. Blood welled and he drew an array on Roy's hand, simple yet unfamiliar.

"Just press, Roy. Save me, free me." Soft lips pressed to his cheek before the blond stood and moved to stand in the middle of the room. His hands spread at his sides and he smiled, a true smile, happy and free. "Please."

Slim hands trembled as they were raised, fingertips pressed to the array. Ed's head rolled back on his shoulders and he relaxed, eyes closed, his mouth falling a bit open; he looked like an angel, with blood covered hands. Tears trailed over his cheeks when the brunette reached low in his body and PUSHED, using as much power as he could find and forcing it into a tight ball. The stones flared around his neck, augmenting his desire.

It was over in a second; a flash and ash floated in the room, swirling in the aftermath. The usual scent was even absent, everything combusting too quickly to leave a trace, for which he was grateful. Red melted over his chest and ran down his arms. It was watched absently and he wondered how many souls he'd set free.

His fingers lifted from his hand and he noticed the array was no longer red; it was etched into his skin in a series of thin white lines. A quick smirk; Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist, just had to have the last word. He stood on weaving legs and forced himself out to the hall to find a nurse.

Move forward or die, but no standing in place or going back; Ed's motto and he would live by it too.


End file.
